Boardwalk vs. Beach Club

[klwdisney]

I'm starting to plan a trip for the week after Thanksgiving. It will be my boyfriend's son's first trip. He's 8. After watching a video, he informed me he'd like to "live in Epcot" when we go to Disney. Which is good because originally he wanted to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge and I really didn't want to. haha So anyway, I"m looking at either Boardwalk or Beach Club. I stayed at Yacht Club last trip and it was ok. I liked the proximity to Epcot. We were only there for 2 nights so we didn't get a full lay of the land. Ive always wanted to stay at Beach Club but when we did Yacht Club I didn't see much in the way of a food court? We wanted a quick bite on our arrival day but was informed at Beaches & Cream that you couldn't get in without a reservation. We walked around and found nothing. So we ate at the pool bar and it was just ok. I love the theming, the pool and the proximity to Epcot at the Beach Club. But I feel like at the Boardwalk we'd have the proximity, but also lots of quick dining options and the pool is pretty cool there too. I also don't think my BF and his son will be all that interested in heading out at night and seeing fireworks every single night like I am so I thought that Boardwalk had some options and boardwalk entertainment to keep us busy if we stay "close to home" at night. And I can see the fireworks from there too!

I've been many times, but never at either of these hotels. And I obviously want to impress my BF who this WDW is "just ok" and his son who's never been. So which would you choose and why??

 

[alex9179]

I don't know. Both areas are lacking in quick service. BW has an edge with the Bakery, pool bar, pizza window, and hot dog/hamburger/chicken stand. Then you have Belle Vue lounge. Some people don't like to take kids into the lounges but it's allowed.

BC/YC have Marketplace and Hurricane Hanna's. Lounges are Martha's Vineyard, Ale & Compass (which is QS in the morning), and Crew's Cup.

BC/YC rooms are a little bigger and the pool complex looks more diverse. Honestly, with 3 people I'd go with whatever is the better deal! You can walk to all of the dining easily or into EPCOT.

 

[schrammalot]

If you want to use the pool BC ALL THE WAY.

There's no real quick service style place like you would see in a value or moderate resort. It's the only drawback. Both are within an easy walk to EPCOT.

 

[AshleeH]

I've never stayed at either, but Beach Club would have the tiniest bit of a bump over Boardwalk for me. I'd love to stay at both someday, but for a first trip, BC is so much closer to Epcot and the food options there more than make up for the lack of QS. It also has the ice cream walk-up for Beaches and Cream!

 

[loves to dive]

I would go with whichever is less. There is no quick service per se at BW either, there is the bakery out on the boardwalk. You can get to anything on the boardwalk with a 3 to 5 minute walk from BC. I prefer YC/BC to BW but if I can get something for less at BW, I go there (I'm doing that in March).

 

[ktlm]

We've stayed at both BC and YC. We have not stayed at BW, but we have been over there. We have also been to WDW the week after Thanksgiving several times. For us, the main advantage of YC/BC is the pool. The week after Thanksgiving, it is hit or miss whether it is swimming weather during your trip. We have been there that when the high was 80 and we have been there when the high was 50- and we have also been there when we had both in the same week. We usually don't stay at YC/BC if we go that week because of the chance we won't use the pool at all (we prefer GF or WL that time of year because of the beautiful decorations). Between BC and BW that week, if BW is cheaper, then I would probably pick it- if they are the same, I might still stick with BC/YC and just hope you might have warm enough weather for the pool.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

Beach Club is basically the same as Yacht Club, although Beach Club's QS place was surprisingly good. Boardwalk really doesn't have any better options since between Beach/Yacht Club you can eat at Beach Club Marketplace, Hurricane Hannah's (the pool place you tried), Crew's Cup (probably closer to TS though), and Beaches & Cream (TS but closer to QS prices but almost certainly need reservations). All that said, the pool at Beach/Yacht Club would be the deciding factor for me. Best pool on property. I feel like you actually have fewer QS options at Boardwalk. And all of these places are a very short walk to the fish & chips place in England and Les Halles in France (but you'd need park hoppers if going to other parks the same day).

 

[Hopefully]

You will not find a Food Court at any of the Epcot Resorts.

 

[Cinderella94]

We love love love Beach Club and have never had any interest in staying in the Boardwalk. We love the subtle beach theming of the BC and the pool is a huge part of our vacation. The two pools don't even compare. I'm sure that the Boardwalk pool is many people's favorite, so I'm certainly not putting it down, but if you imagine using the pool often I would go for the Beach Club.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I'm starting to plan a trip for the week after Thanksgiving. It will be my boyfriend's son's first trip. He's 8. After watching a video, he informed me he'd like to "live in Epcot" when we go to Disney. Which is good because originally he wanted to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge and I really didn't want to. haha So anyway, I"m looking at either Boardwalk or Beach Club. I stayed at Yacht Club last trip and it was ok. I liked the proximity to Epcot. We were only there for 2 nights so we didn't get a full lay of the land. Ive always wanted to stay at Beach Club but when we did Yacht Club I didn't see much in the way of a food court? We wanted a quick bite on our arrival day but was informed at Beaches & Cream that you couldn't get in without a reservation. We walked around and found nothing. So we ate at the pool bar and it was just ok. I love the theming, the pool and the proximity to Epcot at the Beach Club. But I feel like at the Boardwalk we'd have the proximity, but also lots of quick dining options and the pool is pretty cool there too. I also don't think my BF and his son will be all that interested in heading out at night and seeing fireworks every single night like I am so I thought that Boardwalk had some options and boardwalk entertainment to keep us busy if we stay "close to home" at night. And I can see the fireworks from there too!

I've been many times, but never at either of these hotels. And I obviously want to impress my BF who this WDW is "just ok" and his son who's never been. So which would you choose and why??

You've kind of hit the nail on the head on why, personally, I would pick BWI (and now do 80% of the time we stay in WDW!). There are so many more food and entertainment options at BWI, including four sit-down restaurants, two of which you CAN typically walk up to and get a table rather quickly. You also have the Boardwalk Bakery (which has great food, IMHO), the pizza window, the food kiosks AND Ample Hills (arguably the best ice cream on property). And AbracadaBAR which is pretty darn cool and they have kid cocktails! At night, you will have entertainment and carnival games (bring cash!). You will also still be within walking distance of EP and even closer to DHS. DS9 actually loves the pool at BWI. The slide is fun (and adults can see the kids fromt the pool deck the whole time they are walking up and waiting to go down the slide - you can even see them from the pool bar!) and they have cute pool parties (it isn't as spread out as SAB at BC/YC). We really love BWI!

 

[Mrs.Milo]

At either hotel you are close to the Swan Dolphin with lots more dining options, just a quick walk. Picabu's has a great selection of hot meals, and the Fountain (ice cream and diner type food) at the Dolphin.

We love the Boardwalk bakery for sandwiches and soup, and the hot dog cart on the Boardwalk makes the food fresh when ordered, love the onion rings and wings. And kids love the entertainment on the Boardwalk, as one performer is finishing there's another one warming up, our grandkids are teens now but still love it. You all will love whatever place you choose.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Ive always wanted to stay at Beach Club but when we did Yacht Club I didn't see much in the way of a food court? We wanted a quick bite on our arrival day but was informed at Beaches & Cream that you couldn't get in without a reservation. We walked around and found nothing. So we ate at the pool bar and it was just ok. I love the theming, the pool and the proximity to Epcot at the Beach Club. But I feel like at the Boardwalk we'd have the proximity, but also lots of quick dining options and the pool is pretty cool there too.

We have stayed at all three resorts, BC, YC and BW and the BC Marketplace has the best counter service of the three resorts. BW has the Bakery and they have those food carts which serve some quick items. They also have a pizza window. But if you want bacon and eggs and Mickey waffles for breakfast the Marketplace at the BC would be your only counter service option. One downside is that all of the BWI restaurants are accessed from outside. The BC and YC restaurants can be accessed from inside the resort.

You could always stay at the BC and walk to the BWI for the night time entertainment. It is only a five minute walk.

 

[Nancyg56]

With an 8 YO in tow I would choose the BC for the pool. The resort will nto have a lot of QS options, btu none of the Epcot resorts really do. You are so darn close to Epcot though, so you have plenty of options five minutes away.

Folks have already pointed out the QS restaurants in the vicinity so you do have choices. NOne will have the food court the values and moderates offer though, and that is a deliberate choice by Disney.

 

[Nicholmom3]

We stayed at the BC this past August. You absolutely can NOT go wrong there! The pool is amazing. The marketplace has a small counter service where you can get pretty good breakfast options as well as sandwiches. Epcot is a 5 minute walk so you could get lunch at the world showcase whenever!
one of my best tips is no matter which hotel you stay at, rent the bicycle carriage one night. It was cheap ($25 for 30 minutes) and our family laughed so hard the entire time. Hopefully you have some strong legs though, you have to go uphill a couple times and it isn't easy to do when you are laughing so much.

 

[Dano13]

The boardwalk is our favorite by far. Amazing hotel with a good pool and fun pool slide. A slide that you can easily watch an 8 year old if you weren't going on it yourself which is something we like when our son was around that age. There is the pizza window and Boardwalk Bakery right downstairs for quick easy food as well as a few stands on the boardwalk for things like hot dogs, churros, pretzels, etc. Also right next to the pool you could walk across a short foot bridge to the Dolphin that has some other food options. We have been to many of Disney properties and BWI is the one we always look at first. We will be there again on our next trip.

 

[GOOFY4DONALD]

We stayed at the BC last trip mainly for the pool. Unfortunately the week you are going is a gamble...we went the same week and it was so cold we only used the pool once for about 15minutes.
The beach club has a wonderful atmosphere inside and out. And the christmas decorations are amazing...plus the whole resort smells like a mix of chocolate and gingerbread.
That being said we found ourselves drawn to the more lively boardwalk. My son, 11 at the time, begged to stay there because he thought the arcade and food options were much better.

 

[TinkFan74]

I have stayed in DVC studios in both resorts, I like BC very much, but I would never stay at BW again, I would even go as far as to say that I hated it. Parking at BW is quite a walk from the resort, and several times I couldn't find parking at all because of large events at the conference center. The hallways at the Boardwalk are very long, and if you were at the end of a hall getting to the lobby is a chore. To refill a mug you have to go all the way to the bakery. We had a room right on the boardwalk, and without fail we were woken up after midnight by people leaving one of the restaurants or bars. The BC is also a slightly shorter walk to Epcot than the BW, this likely is not a big deal in a cooler month, but at the end of July, which is when we were there, that little extra distance felt like miles. If I had to choose, I would definitely pick BC.

 

[toodycat]

Although I enjoyed both resorts, I think the BC is the way to go, primarily because of the proximity to Epcot. BW and BC are about equal in terms of public spaces, pleasant cast members and theming. However, you can't eat a meal at BWI/V without actually going to the restaurants on the Boardwalk. We found this to be a real inconvenience. When you head to the Boardwalk Bakery for breakfast, it is not an original idea: it's crowded. The hallways are BWI/V are really long. This didn't bother me, but it is true. Everyone loves SAB at BC and lots of people make fun of the clown slide at BWI, both are nice pools in their own way. SAB has a lot more cool features, but is more crowded. Also, you can't see your kid as he/she waits for the slide. The line is pretty far out of the pool area. With an 8 year old, that won't make a difference, but for little kids, it could be a problem. At the Boardwalk, we found the pool less crowded and the clown slide is really fun. Both resorts are nice, but I think the Beach Club is more convenient.

 

[NH-to-FL]

Personally DW and I love the Boardwalk. But, if a pool is high on your list I would suggest the Beach Club. Stormalong Bay is the best pool onsite. Of course, given the time of year you are going pool time is a bit more uncertain.

Neither have great QS options but we have been satisfied with the Boardwalk Bakery and various food items available at the General Store.

The Boardwalk does have a few entertainment options in the evenings. But it isn't that far away from the BC.

Don't underestimate the fun of wandering over to Epcot in the evening, even without staying for Illuminations. This also expands the evening food/snack/drink possibilities. For us that is the big benefit of staying at one of the Epcot resorts.

I think you would be happy with either choice.

Wishing you a magical trip!

 

[kiford]

The BW is my favourite with BC coming in at a close second. With a younger child, I'd suggest BC for the pool and the beach area. While there are no food courts at any of BW/BC/YC, the Boardwalk Bakery is a short walk from any of the three although slightly longer from BC than BW. BW I've always felt is a bit more adult oriented and BC a bit more kid friendly. BC is closer to Epcot so if you have park tickets, it's not too far to Les Halles in France and closer to the Dolphin which I believe has some QS. In past years, we've had a very late lunch/early dinner in order to avoid some of the crowds and get ADRs and then just picked up some cheese and crackers and drinks from the General Store and sat out on our balcony (or patio) with that.